The airfield was built in the early 1940s under the British rule. Known as Chittagong Airfield during World War II, it was used as a supply point by the United States Army Air Forces' 4th Combat Cargo Group. From the airport, they flew C-46 Commando aircraft to transport men and supplies between January and June 1945, during the Burma Campaign 1944-1945. At the end of June, control of the airport was returned to local authorities. It officially became a Bangladeshi airport in 1972 after the Bangladesh Liberation War. At first, it was mainly used for connecting Dhaka and Chittagong. However, In 1998, Hasina I cabinet approved to renovated this airport to making it international airport. In March 1998, a major renovation and expansion began, which ended in December 2000. CAAB received financial assistance from the Japan International Cooperation Agency for the US$51.57 million upgrade. The project was carried out by Japanese firms Shimizu and Marubeni. The upgrade modernised the terminal with new and better seats, more check-in counters, better security equipment and other facilities. The Air Traffic Control tower received new hi-tech equipment such as 3D radar. The runway, taxiways and the tarmac were expanded and improved. After the upgrade, aircraft such as the Boeing 747-400 or the Airbus A340 can land easily. In June 2005, CAAB announced that the management of the airport would be awarded to Thai Airways, the national carrier of Thailand, for 10 years. Thai Airways would be responsible of catering, passenger check-in, ground handling, cargo handling, and other technical services. This, however, never materialized. Biman and US-Bangla Airlines currently operate flights to Dhaka and various points in the Middle East. Domestic destinations like Sylhet, Cox's Bazar and Jashore have also been added. Foreign airlines include Flydubai, Air Arabia, Jazeera Airways, Oman Air and SalamAir. Novo Air operates flights to Dhaka only. US-Bangla also operates flights to Chennai after originating in Dhaka. Emirates SkyCargo launched cargo services in 2013, making it the first scheduled cargo airline in the airport.